Yep, this is officially happening:
http://www.npr.org/...
Former New York Rep. Anthony Weiner, whose career appeared to famously flame out in 2011 when he resigned from Congress because of an extramarital sexting scandal and his lies about what he'd done, has now officially jumped back into politics.
In a new video, the Democrat confirmed Wednesday that he's getting into this year's race to succeed New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I).
"Look, I've made some big mistakes and I know I let a lot of people down," Weiner says in the video. "But I've also learned some tough lessons."
"I hope I get a second chance to work for you," he adds.
His wife, former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, says to New Yorkers that "we love this city and no one will work harder to make it better than Anthony." - NPR, 5/22/13
Weiner's entrance into the race has been speculated for a while now. And this story makes me interested in seeing what his campaign has to offer:
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
Anthony Weiner's political comeback began in earnest over a cup of coffee in January with a playwright from the Berkshires.
In a secret meeting arranged by a mutual friend, Weiner sat down in a Manhattan coffeeshop with Jessica Provenz, a thirtysomething native New Yorker and single mom.
“It was a little on the down low,” Provenz said.
And so began an unlikely partnership between a writer with no experience in politics and a former congressman whose political career had been upended by scandal.
They traded emails and phone calls on a daily basis for three months, developing the ideas that make up a 21-page policy book, “Keys to the City,” which stands as a blueprint for Weiner’s possible 2013 mayoral bid. Weiner released the book in April, as he began raising his profile to gauge public response to his possible candidacy. - New York Daily News, 5/5/13
Of course Weiner is entering a crowded primary but may have a real shot:
http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/...
Weiner’s Democratic opponents include City Councilman Sal Albanese, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, Comptroller John Liu, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the Rev. Erick Salgado, a pastor, and former Comptroller Bill Thompson, The Associated Press reported.
On the Republican side, he is likely to face billionaire businessman John Catsimatidis, former Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota and homelessness-aid organization head George McDonald.
Former White House housing official Aldolfo Carrion Jr., a Democrat who recently dropped his party affiliation, is running on the Independence Party line and also interested in the Republican nomination, the AP said.
A recent poll found that if Weiner entered the race, he would get 15 percent of Democratic votes, putting him in second place after City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, but much less that he would need to achieve an outright victory, according to NBCNewYork.com. - NBC Politics, 5/22/13
2013 might be Weiner's comeback year. I for one have no problem with him running for Mayor. If Mark Sanford (R. SC), who's affair was 110% worse than Weiner's Twitter scandal can be forgiven by the voters, so can Weiner. Even when Weiner's Twitter incident happened, his constituents didn't want him to leave:
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/...
Even as colleagues and commentators continue to call on Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) to resign, a majority of voters in his district want him to stay put, although support for his re-election was weak, according to a new poll.
A NY1-Marist poll conducted Wednesday in Weiner’s district, representing parts of Brooklyn and Queens, found 56 percent of registered voters there saying that the embattled congressman should not quit. One-third said he should step down and another 12 percent were unsure.
Weiner has cited support shown in earlier polls of all New York City residents as a reason why he won’t step down. Two surveys conducted on Monday found majorities of New Yorkers saying Weiner didn’t need to resign or unsure of what they’d like to see him do. - NBC New York, 6/10/11
If you'd like to learn more about Weiner's campaign, you can check out his website:
http://www.anthonyweiner.com/